SHARING FINANCE DIRECTOR

WITH NORWICH WAS AIRED

$15,000-20,000 Extra Pay Discussed, Former City Manager Says

By JIM KEVLIN • for allotsego.com

ONEONTA – While Dick Miller was mayor, discussions were initiated with the City of Norwich about the possibility of sharing the services of Oneonta Finance Director Meg Hungerford, three days here, two days in the Chenango County seat, according to former city manager Martin Murphy.

Murphy said today, recapping a conversation in July, that he was surprised to learn of the idea – after Mayor Miller’s passing and he was three months into the job – at a meeting in January with Norwich Mayor Joseph Maiurano.

“I was very surprised to learn the discussions had gotten to that point without me being aware of what was going on,” he said.  “It all came as a surprise to me.”

The idea was that the finance director would receive an additional stipend of $15,000-20,000, Murphy recalled.  “We never really got to that point,” he added.

“Meg had indicated to me that the mayor of Norwich wanted to have an introductory meeting and talk about ways to share services,” the former city manager said.  “And it was at that meeting I learned this concept was well beyond the exploratory stage.”

He continued, “First and foremost, I was concerned, if we have a finance director who could afford to be away from the office a few days a week, we were overstaffed.  My other concern was how much time was being focused and devoted to the city if the departments are considering these other opportunities.”

He said, “I told the mayor of Norwich I would have to think about that a little bit.  I shared the information with Acting Mayor Southard, and he and I both agreed it was not in the best interest of the city to do that.”

Asked about the situation this afternoon, Mayor Russ Southard said Mayor Miller had floated a number of possible collaborations of Otsego and Chenango counties’ only cities in an e-mail last fall.

Discussions of shared services had included the fire department and other functions, he said.  “Their finance director retired,” he continued.  “It is my understanding that their mayor reached out.  He didn’t say how much time and what they wanted Meg to do.  Martin was asking him for specifics, and it was much more generalities.  It (the idea) didn’t get much traction.”

One of the obstacles, Southard said, was that Oneonta and Norwich have different accounting systems.

A call to Hungerford and e-mail to Maiurano were not immediately returned this afternoon, but may be in time for this week’s edition of Hometown Oneonta, which goes to press Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, Hungerford, who – as called for by charter – became acting city manager when the first city manager, Mike Long, resigned in the spring of 2014, is again serving in that capacity after Murphy’s departure in July, and Common Council Tuesday will consider a stipend that will raise her interim salary above either Long’s or Murphy’s full-time salaries.

Southard said the stipend being considered now was the same as she received after Long’s departure.  He said, since she is doing two jobs, it’s a matter of fairness.  “She’ll still the finance director.  She’s the city manager.  Follow her around for a week, and you’d probably want to pay her more,” he said.

That she appears to be receiving more than $120,000 a year is misleading, since the $15,000 extra that Council members are considering paying her through the end of the year is retroactive to when she assumed the duties a month ago, Southard said.   If, as anticipated, the new council hires another city manager sometime in the new year, it’s unlikely she will ever receive the full $123,620 the formula would eventually yield, Southard said.

Mayor Miller had supported Hungerford for city manager after Long’s departure, but a search committee of Common Council chose Murphy instead.  At the time, members of the original Charter Revision Commission pointed out that she lacked the master’s of public administration and other qualifications called for in the charter.